Drone attack survivors share their story

Nabila Rehman, 9, holds up a picture she drew depicting the U.S. drone strike on her Pakistan village which killed her grandmother Mammana Bibi, at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington October 29, 2013. (REUTERS/JASON REED)

A Pakistani family affected by US led drone-attacks traveled more than 6,000 miles to testify before US Congress Tuesday. This was the first time members of Congress heard stories from victims of a US drone attack, however, of the 535 Congress members, only five were in attendance.

Drone attack survivors share their story

One Pakistani family sheds light on the night that changed their lives in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera English.

Hearing on #drones featuring survivors only attended by 5 members of #Congress. The faces of our remote control #war https://t.co/LoRRdVEWKrNoura Erakat

I am sorry only five members of Congress were thoughtful enough to turn up.Dana Crawford-Pulley

The testimony given by the Rehman family has been lauded by many as an eye-opening account into the every day life of many living in drone affected areas of Pakistan.

When innocent victims are killed in the West, we hear a lot about their families, their sufferings, the details of their stories, and so forth. This humanizes them, and makes us (rightfully) sympathize with those who have been wrongfully traumatized. Yet, when drones fall on innocents in other lands, we rarely hear of their suffering. We hardly know their names. We do not see their pictures. They become mere statistics. Hence it is easy to ignore them and their plight.Ayesha Vahidy

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera English correspondent, Kimberly Halkett on Monday, Rafiq Rehman and his two children, 13-year old Zubair and nine-year-old Nabila, talked about an evening last October when a drone struck their village in Northern Waziristan, leaving Nabila and Zubair injured and their grandmother dead. Below is some unseen interview footage with the family.

Nabila and Zubair said they live life in fear every day because of the possibility of a drone attack.

Zubair and Nabila Rehman on what happened the night of the drone strikeGkwyM2Li85OsEyylAGgkUA

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Zubair says this type of fear upsets him. "Here in America, people can live peacefully and they do not have to live in the fear that I live, but it is the Americans that are causing the fear that I live...Obviously I am going to be a little bit upset about it that why are our lives so different", he asked.

Zubair Rehman- How does it feel to live like this?GkwyM2Li85OsEyylAGgkUA

A schoolteacher, Rafiq's message to Congress is aimed towards improving the conditions for his children.

Rafiq Rehman -- I want to improve the conditions for my childrenGkwyM2Li85OsEyylAGgkUA

Despite the briefing and the loss of lives, some online still question whether eliminating the drone program is the right thing to do.

I am not sure if all drone attacks have been a mistake, but I think this weapon has been overused. Innocents should not dieMerry Martin

What did you think about the Congressional briefing? Tweet us using #AJStream.